Sunday, November 20, 2016

Pub/Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Maestro and Deadly Sins Brewing

I went to these spots yesterday afternoon. The first spot took over for that Brazilian sushi place on Park Ave (next to Burgerfi. The brewery is on the street on the non-parking lot side of 4 Rivers in an industrial area with car repair shops. 

Maestro - They brand themselves as a "Cucina Napoletana". I'm not sure that a southern Italian restaurant would have the amount of meat dishes that they have, but, no matter. It is a blessing to have the option and large percentage of the menu is seafood and vegetables. Another blessing is that this place is run by the Terra Mia people or people associated with it. They always deliver. I had a pizza because that was what the little I had read up on had prepared me for. I took a $10 lunch pizza and added broccoli rabe and sausage for $1.50 each. They had a stuffed pizza on the lunch menu that was composed of this, but, I wanted to see what they do with a normal pizza. It wasn't shaped Neopolitan style. A regular round disc. It was good. They do the "hunks" of mozzarella thing that is traditional, but leaves two thirds of the surface area naked. The sauce was just squashed tomatoes. The rabe was wilted in garlic. The sausage was crumbles. Good quality. Thin. Not charred or undercooked. Good dough. Large enough that I could only eat half. They also supplied me with fresh bread and a twisted bread stick. Service was informed and polite and quick. The place seats about forty inside and they can add two or three table on the sidewalk. A weird design element is that the bar is so close to the sidewalk that sliding glass doors will cut off bar seats on that side when closed. The decor is minimalist. I think I remember black and a light Earth tone on the walls. They have an open kitchen in the back with one of these red tiled brick oven that I seem to be seeing more and more of. The place was about half full. They have only been open for a week. The menu looks conventionally ambitious and enticing. Everything from paninis to pastas to whole sea bass. Pastas top out at $16.50. The main dishes (secondi) start below $20 and end at $25.50 for Zuppa di Pesce. A small pizza (13") tops out at $16.50. I'm not sure if another Italian option was necessary in the area, but, a good restaurant is a good restaurant. I think they may get first dibs on Rollins students and parents, but, that may be off set by how much of a pain it is for everyone else to find parking at this end of the avenue. Time will tell.

Deadly Sins Brewing - I had a flight (4) for $10. The sweet potato ale was really interesting. Pick some up for Thanksgiving. The IPA was subtle. The darker beers seemed to be their sweet spot. They just had their firm opening a week or so ago. It's basically a store room with an L bar. The bar seats were full. They were hosting an adopt a pet affair. A food truck pulled up in the lot. The owner told me a funny story on how he had to be on a main sewer line to operate and that is how he ended up where he has. Ah, the things you'd never think of. A nice addition.

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